1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an ice cream sandwich and method for making the same.
More particularly, the invention relates to an ice cream sandwich cookie which maintains its crispness after being contacted by ice cream, which can withstand temperatures of 120 degrees F. to 130 degrees F. during shipment, and which complements the edible texture and flavor of an ice cream sandwich.
2. Description of the Related Art including Information Disclosed Under 37 CFR 1.97 and 1.98
Conventional oblong or rectangular ice cream sandwiches comprise a slab of vanilla ice cream between a pair of rectangular chocolate cookies. The chocolate cookies absorb moisture from the ice cream and, as a result, the cookies become soft and moist and tend to stick to the fingers of a person holding and eating the ice cream sandwich. The migration of moisture from ice cream to the cookies is one reason that the crispy brown wafer "cookie" material used to make ice cream cones can not be utilized in an ice cream sandwich. The crispy wafer material would absorb moisture from the ice cream and become soft and mushy. The wafer material (or the ice cream) can be sealed by completely coating the wafer material with chocolate in order to block the migration of moisture from the ice cream to the wafer material. A chocolate coating is messy and tends to stick to the fingers of a person consuming the ice cream sandwich. Further, many individuals are either allergic to or simply do not like chocolate. And, many ice cream flavors do not combine favorably with chocolate. Another disadvantage of chocolate is that it tends to melt at temperatures in excess of 100 degrees F. During shipment to plants which manufacture ice cream sandwiches, wafers can encounter temperatures of 120 to 130 degrees F. Such temperatures cause many chocolate compositions to melt and, as a consequence, cause wafers coated with chocolate to stick to one another. In order to counter this problem, "high-temperature" chocolate compositions have been prepared which resist melting at high temperatures. However, many of these high temperature chocolate compositions can have an unfavorable waxy texture when frozen.
Another solution to the problem of moisture absorption is to saturate with oil the cookies in an ice cream sandwich. Saturating cookies with oil makes them sticky and gooey and can cause portions of the cookies to stick to the fmgers of an individual consuming the ice cream sandwich.
Making an ice cream sandwich with chocolate cookies, wafer material, or other baked or cooked food compositions which are firm and crispy is advantageous because consumers like the combination of ice cream and crispy cookie materials. This is why ice cream cones are popular.
Another disadvantage of many wafer and cookie materials is that they are too weak to be utilized on machinery which produces an ice cream sandwich by injecting soft ice cream between a pair of spaced apart cookies and by then indexing the cookies to "wipe" excess ice cream off the nozzle which injected the ice cream.
Accordingly, it would be highly desirable to provide an improved ice cream sandwich which would include ice cream sandwiched between a pair of crispy crunchy cookies.
It would also be high desirable to provide a cookie which could be utilized for an ice cream sandwich and which would resist or prevent the migration of moisture from the ice cream into the cookie through the cookie-ice cream interface.
Further, it would be highly desirable to provide improved ice cream sandwich cookies of the type described which could be shipped at high temperatures without experiencing a degradation in quality and without adhering to one another, and which could be utilized on equipment which produces ice cream sandwiches at a high rate of speed by using a pair of cookies to receive soft ice cream and to then "wipe" the ice cream from the nozzle dispensing the ice cream.
Therefore, it is a principal object of the invention to provide an improved ice cream sandwich and method for producing the same.
A further object of the invention is to provide an ice cream sandwich including a slab of ice cream sandwiched intermediate a pair of crispy, crunchy cookies.
Another object of the invention is to provide a laminate cookie which can contact ice cream for an extended period of time without permitting moisture to migrate from the ice cream across the ice cream-cookie interface and into the cookie.
Still a further object of the invention is to provide a laminate cookie which includes a moisture barrier which resists degradation when the cookie is subjected to temperatures in the range of -40 degrees F. to 130 degrees F.
Yet another object of the invention is to provide an food laminate which can enhance the edibility and taste of an ice cream sandwich.
And, a further object of the invention is to provide an ice cream sandwich cookie which need not be saturated with oil to prevent the absorption of moisture by the cookie.